martial arts

[ninikins]

Do you consider taking self defense classes such as martial arts etc to make yourself feel safer and to up your confidece? Its said that most attackers will run if a women shows strength

[brian]

I think it's as much a confidence issue - it's natural for predators to feel empowered when the prey runs, but not so sure when the prey turns ready to fight back.

Of course, there's a time for fighting, and a time for running away.

[Belson17]

My wife took a 1 day self defense course and the thing they emphasized most for women was to fight back - loud and hard. If you have to scratch his eyes out you do it. Don't forget about a good kick in the gonads....As a man, I think I'd rather have my eyes scratched out.

[angivodka]

i agree self defense classes are a lot about building confidence and making you look like less of an easy target.

[ninikins]

exactly, even if these lessons do not actually anything to your physical strength, a confidence booster can make all the difference if you ever find yourself attacked.

[LyricB]

My mom taught me from a very young age to walk with my head held high and look confident and strong in an attempt to ward off any would-be attackers.

[shaneseyt]

My kids are taking karate - as a way to defend themselves, and to build their self confidence. I have never taken a martial arts class, but do know that if a woman (or man for that matter) is smart an attacker will be less likely to pick that person as the victim. I have had the opportunity to attend several self defense classes and have looked this up on the internet.

Tips:

Woman with long hair should be careful not to wear it in ponytails, attackers like to grab handfuls and control their victims that way.

Woman and men should always walk with their heads up and with intention (even if they have no purpose...act like you do)

Make noise and do whatever you can to cause a scene - most attackers are looking for people who will not fight back, it takes more time to subdue someone who is fighting back and not worth the risk opf getting caught.

Ladies - use your elbows or your knees and get him where it will really hurt...they cannot fight too much if they are on their knees in pain.

If the attacker has a gun - you might want to consider letting them have that wallet or purse and call police as soon as possible to report it - the attacker won't have a chance to get far if you call 911 and report it right away.

Also, if someone is trying to mug you - throw the purse or wallet in the opposite direction and run away from it, then call the police (911)

You can also stomp on their foot, or put a finger in their eye, or grab their wrist and twist it against their physiological boundry - that is bound to hurt and distract them from the attack.

Ladies - if someone is attacking you - yell "RAPE" as loud as you can - this will attract attention from others and discourage the attacker.

A good rule of thumb is to never try and be a hero and capture the attacker...defend yourself and get away form the situation then call the police - let them apprehend the bad guy, that is their job.

The most important thing we can all keep in mind is that we keep ourselves safe so we can have another day with our families. (Don't know about you, but I want to live to see my kids and grandkids!)

Good luck, be safe....hope the tips help, and if you want more you can do a goolge search on self defense and find a lot of valuable sites with information like I shared.

[OneofaKind]

Thanks for the tips Shane, they are all very good practical tips.

[brian]

Great comments, Shane - especially the point about looking to defend yourself, as opposed to capturing the criminal.

On the issue of "rape" - I'm sure I once read that it was better to shout "fire" - claiming that people would be more likely to respond to cries of a fire rather than rape. Nowadays, I'm not too sure, though.